Kerang South Primary School

Protecting Children from Abuse

For Parents and Carers

Child Safe Standard 5

GET THE FACTS

As adults we all play a critical role to protect children from harm.

As a parent or carer you have the primary responsibility for protecting and caring for your own children and supporting them to build relationships that are safe and respectful.

You also play a critical role in identifying and responding to suspected abuse within the community. In fact, it may amount to a criminal offence if you fail to report suspected sexual child abuse.

REPORTING ABUSE

What should I do if I suspect that my child has been abused?

If you believe that your child has been abused, or is at risk of being abused contact Victoria Police immediately via the local police station or on 000 if it’s an emergency.

What should I do if I suspect that another child has been abused?

If you suspect that a child has been abused, or is at risk of abuse (such as physical abuse, family violence or neglect) you should report immediately to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Child Protection (see contact detail at the end of this fact sheet)

If you suspect that a child has been sexually abused, you must also report your concerns to the Victoria Police. You may be committing a criminal offence if you fail to do so.
You should report even if you’re not sure. It is the role of authorities to investigate your concerns and determine if any further action needs to be taken.
Parent and carers are also often in a position to protect the friends of their children. This is because children are most likely to disclose their experiences of abuse to their peers, who in turn may share this with their own parents and carers.
If your child talks to you about their friend, and you suspect that the child is being abused or is at risk of being abused, you should act. You may be the only adult in a position to act and your response may be critical in protecting that child’s safety.

What should I do if I suspect that a child is being abused and authorities have previously investigated and dismissed my report?

If you have new grounds for believing that a child is being abused, you should make another report to DHHS Child Protection or Victoria Police. Every report is critical to protecting a child as it builds evidence and helps authorities to gain a clearer understanding of risks to the child.

What happens to my child if someone at the school suspects that my child has been abused?

All staff members at your child’s school are required to report suspected child abuse to DHHS Child Protection and, in some circumstances, to Victoria Police.

Your child’s school will contact you as soon as possible, unless they have been advised not to do so by DHHS Child Protection and/or Victoria Police.

Where appropriate the school will work with you to ensure that your child is provided with support, which may include referring them to wellbeing professionals.

When is it a criminal offence to not report suspect abuse?

Any adult may face criminal charges if they believe that another adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 years of age and does not report this information to the police.

FACTS ON CHILD ABUSE

What is child abuse?

Child abuse:

can include physical abuse, sexual abuse, grooming, emotional or physiological harm, neglect or family violence
does not have to involve physical contact or force (eg, child sexual abuse can include talking to a child in a sexually explicit way)
can be committed by any member of the community, including someone within a child’s family or someone within the school setting.

The trauma associated with child abuse can significantly impact upon the wellbeing and development of a child. This is why it is critical that we all respond immediately to any form of suspected abuse.

What are the signs that a child has been abused?

There are a range of physical and behavioural indicators of child abuse.

Most importantly you should act if you notice anything that causes you to form a reasonable belief that a child has been, or is at risk of being abused, including (but not limited to):

a change in a child’s behaviour (e.g. withdrawal, regressive behaviour, or non-age appropriate sexual behaviours)
physical indicators of abuse (e.g. unexplained bruises, welts, signs of malnutrition)
an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a child (e.g. inappropriate physical contact, unexplained gifts or phone/email contact).

THE SCHOOL’S ROLE

How must schools respond to suspected child abuse?

All staff in Victorian schools are obligated to respond to any incident or suspicion of child abuse as outlined below:

Respond to the emergency

Address any immediate health and safety needs (eg. administer first aid or contact emergency services).

Inform authorities

Report any reasonable belief that a child has been, or is at risk of being abused to the DHHS Child Protection or Victoria Police.

Contact parents/carers when appropriate

Contact parents/carers once authorities advise that it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Ideally parents/carers will play a central role in providing support for their children, however schools will be instructed not to contact parents/carers in circumstances where this may impede an investigation or place the child at greater risk.

Provide ongoing support for all children impacted by the abuse

Provide appropriate support for all children impacted by abuse. This will likely include ongoing counselling from professionals. The child’s ongoing support will be documented in a Student Support Plan.

These actions are outlined in further detail in Identifying and Responding to All Forms of Abuse in Victorian Schools.

Are the staff at my child’s school required to report child abuse?

Yes – all staff at your child’s school are required by law to report any reasonable belief that a child has been abused, or is at risk of abuse.

In some circumstances, it may be a criminal offence for school staff to fail to report child abuse to the authorities.

PROTECTING MY CHILD

What can I do to help educate and protect my child from abuse?

Have a chat to your child and make sure that he or she knows that no one is allowed to threaten, hurt or touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.

Every relationship should be respectful and no one should behave in a way that makes them feel unsafe or afraid.

Your child’s school will also be supporting your child in learning about their rights to be safe and respected. Victorian government schools are teaching the Respectful Relationships program which promotes positive attitudes and behaviours and is aimed at preventing family violence.

What should I talk about when I explain safety to my child?

There are some things you can do at home to build your child’s understanding of safe and respectful relationships including:

talking openly with your child about their feelings and relationships
being sure that they understand you will listen and act if they are concerns about how anyone is treating them
using the correct names for body parts and having age-appropriate conversations about touching and sexual activity
letting your child know that adults should never harm or act in a sexual way with any child.

Keeping children safe outside of the home or school

You play a critical role in ensuring that your children are spending time in safe places.

In Victoria all people who are working with your children such as coaches and music teachers need to have a current Working with Children Check.

You may like to check that any staff and volunteers spending time with your child after school hours and on weekend have a valid Working with Children Check.

If you think that you may need some help to keep your children safe from harm and support their healthy development, it is important you find some help. Visit the Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel for information on seeking support:

FURTHER INFORMATION

Where can I go for more information and support?

You can contact DHHS Child Protection and Victoria Police directly to discuss any concerns you may have for the wellbeing of a child (see contact details on the next page)

If you have any concerns about your child or another child at your child’s school talk to the principal or another staff member at the school about your concerns. You can also raise this matter with DHHS Child Protection and the Victoria Police.

For further information on where to go for support to keep your children safe from harm visit the Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel:

For more information on:

your child’s school’s role in preventing and managing child abuse:

indicators of abuse, visit

If you are concerned or unsure about your school’s response and/or would like to talk to someone outside of the school please contact:

Victorian Government schools Regional Office (
Catholic Schools local Diocesan education office (
Independent Schools Victoria (

Contact Numbers

24 Hour Services

Victoria Police000

Department of Health and Human Services 131 278

Child Protection

Department of Education and Training (03) 9589 6266

Security Services Unit

Department of Education and Training

Security Services Unit(03) 9589 6266

Student Incident and Recovery Unit(03) 9637 2934

or (03) 9637 2487

Legal Division (03) 9637 3146

Employee Assistance Program1300 361 008

Employee Health(03) 9637 2395

Employee Conduct Branch(03) 9637 2595

Privacy Unit(03) 9637 3601

International Division(03) 9651 3976

Communications Division(03) 9637 2871

Regional

North Eastern Victoria

General enquiries1300 333 231

Benalla office(03) 8392 9500

Glen Waverley office (03) 8392 9300

North Western Victoria

Bendigo office(03) 5337 8444

Coburg office (03) 9488 9488

South Eastern Victoria

Dandenong office(03) 8765 5600

Moe office(03) 5127 0400

South Western Victoria

General inquiries1300 333 232

Ballarat office (03) 5337 8444

Footscray office (03) 8397 0300

Geelong office(03) 5225 1000

Horsham office(03) 5310 5200

Warrnambool office 1300 333 232

Department of Health and Human Services Child Protection

Region / Local Government Areas (LGAs) / Phone No
Northern and western suburban LGAs / Banyule, Brimbank, Darebin, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Melton, Moonee Valley, Moreland, Nillumbik, Whittlesea, Wyndham, Yarra. / 1300 664 977
Eastern suburban LGAs / Boroondara, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse, Yarra Ranges. / 1300 360 391
Southern suburban LGAs / Bayside, Cardinia, Casey, Frankston, Glen Eira, Greater Dandenong, Kingston, Mornington Peninsula, Port Phillip, Stonnington. / 1300 655 795
West Rural and Regional LGSs / Ararat, Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Hindmarsh, Horsham, Moorabool, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, West Wimmera, Yarriambiack, Colac-Otway, Corangamite, Glenelg, Greater Geelong, Moyne, Queenscliffe, Southern Grampians, Surf Coast, Warrnambool. / 1800 075 599
North-western rural and regional LGAs / Buloke, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Gannawarra, Greater Bendigo, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Mildura, Mount Alexander, Swan Hill. / 1800 675 598
North-eastern rural and regional LGAS / Alpine, Benalla, Greater Shepparton, Indigo, Mansfield, Mitchell, Moira, Murrindindi, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Wodonga. / 1800 650 227
Eastern and south-eastern rural and regional LGAs / Bass Coast, Baw Baw, East Gippsland, Latrobe, South Gippsland, Wellington. / 1800 020 202

Child FIRST

Alpine1800 705 211

Ararat1300 783 341

Ballarat1300 783 341

Banyule(03) 9450 0955

Bass Coast(03) 5662 5150

Baw Baw1800 339 100

Bayside1300 367 441

Benalla1800 705 211

Boroondara1300 762 125

Brimbank1300 138 180

Buloke1300 665 218

Campaspe1800 260 338

Cardinia(03) 9705 3939

Cardinia - Aboriginal children and families(03) 9794 5973

Casey(03) 9705 3939

Casey - Aboriginal children and families(03) 9794 5973

Central Goldfields1800 260 338

Colac-Otway(03) 5232 5500

Corangamite(03) 5232 5500

Darebin(03) 9450 0955

East Gippsland(03) 5152 0052

Frankston1300 721 383

Gannawarra1300 665 218

Glen Eira1300 367 441

Glenelg1300 543 779

Golden Plains1300 783 341

Greater Bendigo1800 260 338

Greater Dandenong(03) 9705 3939

Greater Dandenong - Aboriginal children and families(03) 9794 5973

Greater Geelong1300 551 948

Greater Shepparton1300 854 944

Hepburn1300 783 341

Hindmarsh1800 195 114

Hobson's Bay1300 775 160

Horsham1800 195 114

Hume1300 786 433

Indigo1800 705 211

Kingston1300 367 441

Knox1300 369 146

La Trobe1800 339 100

Loddon1800 260 338

Macedon Ranges1800 260 338

Manningham1300 762 125

Mansfield1800 705 211

Maribyrnong1300 775 160

Maroondah1300 369 146

Melbourne1300 775 160

Melton1300 138 180

Mildura1300 625 533

Mitchell1800 663 107

Moira1300 854 944

Monash1300 762 125

Moonee Valley1300 775 160

Macedon Ranges1300 783 341

Moorabool1300 786 433

Moreland1300 721 383

Mornington Peninsula1800 260 338

Mount Alexander1300 543 779

Moyne1800 663 107

Nillumbik(03) 9450 0955

Northern Grampians1800 195 114

Port Phillip1300 367 441

Pyrenees1300 783 341

Queenscliff1300 551 948

South Gippsland(03) 5662 5150

Southern Grampians1300 543 779

Stonnington1300 367 441

Strathbogie1300 854 944

Surf Coast1300 551 948

Swan Hill1300 665 218

Towong1800 705 211

Wangaratta1800 705 211

Warrnambool1300 543 779

Wellington(03) 5144 7777

West Wimmera1800 195 114

Whitehorse1300 762 125

Whittlesea(03) 9450 0955

Wodonga1800 705 211

Wyndham1300 775 160

Yarra(03) 9450 0955

Yarra Ranges1300 369 146

Yarriambiak1800 195 114

Other Services

Centres Against Sexual Assault (CASA) – 1800 806 292

Emergency Counselling & Support Line

Australian Childhood Foundation 1800 176 453

Children’s Protection Society (03) 9450 0900

Child Wise (03) 9695 8900

Vic Aboriginal Education Association (03) 9481 0800

Child Safety Commission 1300 782 978

Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner1800 880 176

Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) (03) 9287 8800

Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (03) 9411 9411

(VACCHO)

Sexually Abusive Behaviour Treatment Services Providers:

Australian Childhood Foundation(03) 9874 3922

Children’s Protection Society(03) 9450 0900

Berry Street(03) 5822 8100

Mallee Sexual Assault(03) 5025 5400

South Eastern CASA(03) 9928 8741

Ballarat CASA(03) 5320 3933

Barwon CASA(03) 5222 4318

Campaspe CASA(03) 5441 0430

Gippsland CASA(03) 5134 3922

Goulburn Valley CASA(03) 5831 2343

Upper Murray CASA(03) 5722 2203

Wimmera CASA(03) 5381 9272